It’s the collection of a lifetime that Patrick lost following a burglary. The loss is financial: tens of thousands of euros, but above all sentimental for this resident of Montigny-le-Tilleul. He had his collection of Formula 1 items stolen, reports SudInfo. This collection would now be in the premises of the Charleroi police, in a safe place.
An entire life has been stolen from Patrick: around fifteen prestigious helmets, at €5,000 each. Among these are two signed by motoring legends like Ayrton Senna, worth 14,000 each. Patrick also lost around seventy miniature replicas of Formula 1 cars and a suit worn by Michael Schumacher.
Patrick is 66 years old, and for about thirty years, he likes to treat himself to valuable museum pieces. Everything collapses on his return from vacation: he discovers his house upside down. Destroyed furniture, ransacked plants, upturned beds… but above all thousands of euros stolen, flown away. “It hurts a lot” he confided to SudInfo.
A fantastic story
Until this morning, there was no information to locate this stolen collection. But following the media coverage of the case, the local police of Charleroi contacted our editorial staff to inform us that they were in possession of the stolen helmets. The story seems quite incredible, but Charleroi police spokesman David Quinaux confirms that these helmets have been on police premises since mid-July.
Indeed, after a chase with a car with stolen plates, a driver and the contents of his trunk were arrested. In the car: a collection of helmets, but also other stolen objects. These helmets were kept by the police while waiting for their owner to come forward. Only, it seems that Patrick was on vacation during this whole period. It is therefore when he returns from his leave that he realizes the loss of his collection.
After two months, the police are therefore delighted to have been able to find the potential owner of these helmets. However, it is still necessary to formally identify the objects and ensure that he is the real owner.